Trolley-retriever valve.



F. A. WAss'oN.` TROLLEY RETRIEVER VALVE. APPLICATION FILED MAY l2. 1913.

Patented une 13, 1916.

o., wAsHlNu'roN. D. c.

THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAVH c TROLLEY-RETRIEVER VALVE.

specification of Letters Patent. A Patented June 137 1916,

Application led May 12, 1913. Serial No. 77',0 16.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANKA. WAssoN, a citizen of the United States and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Rei triever Valves, of which the followingis a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide means for automatically lowering an electric railway trolley to a position where it will produce no injury to the overhead structure in the event of the trolley leaving the trolley wire. It is necessary that the trolley wheel be held firmly against the trolley wire in order to maintain a proper electrical connection therewith and that the trolley be permitted to have a swinging movement in order that it may maintain such connection notwithstanding the variation in the elevation of the trolley due to its disf tant points of suspension. Whenthe trolley leaves the wire it swings upwardly with force and unless immediately retracted is liable to cause damage to the overhead structure or receive injury therefrom.

The present invention is designed to utilize compressed air from the usual air brake system or from any other source for auto matically retracting the trolley when it makes a sudden upward movement on leaving the wire, without interfering with the slower swinging movements of the trolley in maintaining its connection with the wire.

More particularly the present yinvention relates to the construction of the automatic valve in a` trolley retriever of the type shown and described in my co-pending application.

for Letters Patent Serial No. 732,638, filed November 21, 1912, which resultedv in Patent No. 1,143,002, dated June 15,v 1915.

This present invention consists of the automatic valve construction for controlling the supply ofv compressed air tothe trolley swinging motor so as to admit the compressed air to the motor upon the occurrence of the sudden upward movement of the trolleyl on leaving the wire' and for preventing the escape of pressure fluid at other. times and for permitting of a hand` control of the valve when it is desired to retract the trolley at other times.

l'With the above and other objects in view the invention consists inthe trolley retrievnection 5 within a ring 6 adapted to be fastened to the roof of the car. Coil springs 8 connect the upper ends, not shown, of the trolley frame 1 with the upper ends of brackets 3 for holding thetrolley in its engagement with the wire.

A cylinder 9 is mounted on the trolley base 4 and contains a piston 10Vwith its connecting rod 11 connecting with a stud 12 on the frame 1 at some distance above the j pivotal connection 2. The swinging movements of the trolley on the pivotal connection 2 cause reciprocating movements of the piston within thecylinder. A passageway `13 leads from swivel pipe connection 14 .at the center of the trolley base 4 which is supplied with compressed air from the compressed air reservoir ofthe air brake system or other supply by pipe 15. The passageway 13 at the end of the cylinder continues through the cylinder head to the center thereof where it communicates with the interior of a valve casing 16 of an automatic valve, which valve casing is preferably formed integral with the cylinder. head.

This casing forms coaxial cylindrical chambers of different diameters, the inner chamber being the smaller and having direct communication with the passageway 13 and the outer chamber having communication with the interior of the cylinder through a passageway 17. A bushing 18 forming a tapering. valve seat at its end is fitted within the ksmaller chamber'of the valve casing against a shoulder 19 and a bushing 20 forms a lining for the larger chamber of the' valvev casing. A valve member 21 fits within the bushing' 20 at one end which is of larger diameter .and its other end' of fsmaller diameter freelyfpasses throughthe bushing 18, while its' conical intermediate l portion fits upon the valve v.seat ,of bushing 18 Vto close the passageway through. the valve casing.` jThe valveis held in its 'seated position by the pressure ofa lspringY 22 contained therein and engaged at its `outer end by a set screw 23. A gasket 24: se` cured between the edge of a screw cap 25 and the edge of the valve casing on which it is threaded forms a seat for an annular flange on the outer face of the larger end of the valve member to prevent the leal;- age of air past the valve When the valve is in its outer or open pnsitien,

The pressure of spring 22 under the adjustment of the set screw 23 is such that the pressure conveyed to the inner end of the valve casing from the compressed air reservoir through passageway le. is insufficient to move the valve ofi' voi'its conical seat, and .consequently atmosphel pressure only contained Within the cylinder'. The slight variations in pressure due tothe slow reciproeating movements of the piston inem the ordinary eliangesin elevation ofthe trolley Wire are insufficient to produce a change in position of the automatic valve, for the automatic valve is provided With a lealway consisting of a small opening y27 theref through and the set screw 23 has a central opening 28. The vent or breathing passage for the Cylinder is therefore through passageway 17, opening 27 in the valve and opening 28 in the set screw.v When, how.- eveu the piston is given a duiek movement in the Cylinder dueto the trolley leaving the Wire and moving upward, these breathing passageways are insuliiient to relieve the pressure in the cylinder incident thereto and such pressure acting upon the inner face of the larger portion of the valve inem-her is sufficient with the assistance ot pressure of air from the pressen-e reservoir against the smaller portion cf the valve .to nuove the valve and hold it tightly against its gasket 24, preventing lealage of pressure thereby. This opening of the valvelliovvever, admits the high pressure air from the compressed air reservoir to the cylinder through passagevvay 17 and its action upon the piston 10 is .to immediately lower the .tiolley to the position shown. l

rIhe spring 2,2 does not .bear Adirectly against the valve member, .but bears against a llanged head 29 of a rod 3Q vvhieh passes out` through the opening 28 of the set serieu 23 and also through an opening in a protecting nap .31 threaded on the eterea-v cap ,2,5 and surrounding the set screw iand this rod 30 has a ivile 01 .Other suitable eonneetion 3.2 extending to a position Within convenient ifeaeh. ofthe motonnan so that vvhenhe ,de sires to Withdraw the trolley in order ,to pass construction Work lorv for any ,other'reasgn it is only necessary for him to pull on said clonueetion and thus remove .the piessure. of ,spring 22 trein the valve member 21; perinitting the pressure of eonipres'sed. 'l air against the. smaller end et the valve meniv ber .to move the valve member to its @Pell position and thus .Cause .the .trolley te he Withdrawn under the pressure of air in the cylinder. i

i In order that the trolley may be released frorn lovverposition in Which it is forced and held'by the compressed air in the cylinder, a three-Way cock 33 is provided in the compressed air supply pipe 15 and by means thereof the supplyof compressed air to the automatic valve may be shut off and the valve casing opened to the atmosphere. This permits" of the exhaust of the `Compressed aii' in the valve easing the cylinder, permitting the spring 8 to restore the .trolley to its normal eondition and permitting the spring 22 to return the automatic valve to its, seated position, After the autoinatio valve is seated the .thnee-.ivay oook 33 is returned te its normal position as ,shown and the device is again ready for operation.

The open end of the cylinder is provided with a ring 34 vvith an annular flange 35 ortuloe extending Within the cylinder to loosely .fit alianged extension 36 of the piston and forming between it and ,the Wall of the cylinder a pocket or dashpot to cushion the outward movement ot' 'the piston and prevent the trolley being thrown with force against the car roof. A cup-,shaped leather gasket 3.7 is provided at .the extension 35 of the piston simi-lai to the leather' gasket 3S the piston proper and the piston travels, on these tivo varying surfaces Witheut having metallic bearin surfaoe against the cylinder, The gasket .3 is held in place hy means of a flanged ring tl'ivith an innei' flange eutending in one direetion .and an outer flange extending in the opposite direction. The inner flange of this ring 39 tonus the loose Aft for the pist-on extension f3.6 around the tube te While the ,outer flange thergof is adapted in the, Outer position of the pistou .te hear against a leather or other suitable gasket el) seeared to the innen 'faee nl? ring te and vvhieh ,foune la flap valve for opening il thi-hugh said ring to freely air the space hetvveen the ring and the pieten extension during the inner nuove ment ot' the piston.l During the outer movement of the piston under the action of thel compressed `air` in the cylinder the iiap valve remains Closed .and ,the .space -hetiveen the piston extension and the-ring 29 forms a dashpot to eushion vthe end of the stroke of i the pieten IThe tia-nge of lting 39 vvhieh hearsagainst gasket 4e() assists the gasket 38 of the piston 'in preventing the leakage of enmpteslsed air during the timeY the trolley is. held in its lower "position hy the eenipressed au in the. evlinder- Bv means ef this invention the .trolley is auieltly ivithdiavvn'through automatie means ,aetuated hy the quiet upward movement of the trolley When it leaves the Wire and its .downward mevement .while temible is sutileientlv euehiened to prevent its doing injury to the car. While the device is operated by compressed air there is no waste of air pressure, for the pressure from the reservoir is only admitted to the cylinder when the trolley leaves the wire and is then confined against leakage.

While the invention has been described as pertaining to a trolley retriever it is obvious that the valve construction may be capable of other uses and the claims are therefore not to be understood as restricted to this particular use for the valve.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a trolley retriever, an automatic valve comprising a casing, a spring pressed valve member seated therein and provided with separate pressure areas on opposite sides of the seat thereof both tending to unseat the valve, a compressed air supply mea-ns having communication with one pressure area of the valve member, a trolley swinging member having. communication with the other pressure area of the Valve member, and means for relieving the valve of the spring pressure for permitting hand control of the retrieving means.

2. In a trolley retriever, a cylinder, a piston working therein and adapted for connection with a trolley, a valve casing on the end of the cylinder provided with a valve seat, a valve member fitting within the valve casing and seated on the valve seat, said valve member having its end of larger diameter than the valve seat and itting in a correspondingly larger portion of the valve casing, there being a passageway between the ing, a set screw threaded in the cap member and provided with an opening therethrough,

a spring bearing against the set screw and against the valve to hold the valve normally seated, and a stem connected with the end of the spring which bears against the valve andA passing through the opening in the set screw by means of which the valve may be relieved of the pressure of the spring.

3. In a trolley retriever, an automatic valve, comprising a casing having a cylindrical portion with a concentric compressed air passageway leading thereto and of smaller diameter and terminating in a valve seat, a valve member fitting within the cylindrical portion of the valve casing and provided with a valve seated on the valve seat and subjected to the pressure of the compressed air passageway, a spring hlding the valve against its seat, a trolley swinging means having communication with the cylindrical portion of the valve casing, and a hand operated means for relieving the valve of the spring pressure.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses. Y

FRANK A. WASSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C.

valve, a cap member fitting on the valve cas-V 

